Harbored Fear
by Missuss
Summary: When the Sevilles move into an old house in the city, not only are they faced with years worth of renevations, but also a deranged ghost. Read and find out what happens next!


**Hint: Put on Pandora Radio or something and pick "spooky symphonies" it really helps set the mood :) Or a suggestion that goes pretty well with this story is the Edward Scissorhands film score! Well, anyways, read and enjoy!**

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><p><strong>A Halloween Special<strong>

**"If a man harbors any sort of fear, it makes him landlord to a ghost" ~Lloyd Douglas**

"Are we there yet?" Carman whines in the backseat of Brittany's new yellow SUV. I grip the steering wheel and keep driving, ignoring my daughter. I glance behind me at the three kids in the back seat minding their own business. Alisha seems intent on reading whatever book she's reading while A.J watches his video game closely turning it from side to side and up and down depending on what's happening in the game. Then there's Carman… I told her it would be a long trip but no, she just couldn't listen. She watches the scenery outside as we weave our way through the bustling city. October is upon us and the leaves outside had turned brilliant shades of yellow and orange as they flutter through the city. "Are we there yet?" she asks again in a muffled tone.

"No!" I yell, startling everyone else in the car except for Brittany who's listening to a book on tape. Even though her sister Jeanette insisted that reading the book would be a lot more rewarding my wife refused to use her brain and decided to listen to it and block everyone else out around her.

A couple more seconds of silence and Carman opens her mouth again. "Are we there yet?"

"N-" I'm cut off by the sight of the house up the street. I check the address on the piece of paper in my hands and back up at the house just to make sure. "Yeah honey, we're here," I tell her, making all of the other kids get up and stare at the house. I poke Britt's shoulder to make her look also. She only grimaces at the sight of the house.

"No wonder it was in our budget," she sighs. "The place looks like Halloween threw up on it."

"Nuh-ah!" A.J yells. "There's no pumpkins mommy!" Britt laughs a little, shaking her head slowly from side to side. I glance at the structure in front of me as I pull up to the curb. The house was in the middle of a couple row houses made of brick, but ours looked, well, well for wear.

"It just needs a little TLC," I mutter. Brittany grimaces as I shift the car into park and climb out. I put my hands in my pockets, looking up at the dirty house. The front steps are falling apart, a couple bricks are missing from the façade and a window is left open upstairs. The place looks like it came right out of a horror movie. Something in my gut told me not to take a step closer. For God's sake! I'm not a kid anymore! It's just a house! I shake my head and pinch the bridge of my nose. I jump when a hand lies on my shoulder. I turn to find Brittany's worried face looking up at me. "Just a headache," I quickly recover.

"Okay," she whispers, holding my shoulder with one hand and her pregnant stomach with another. I smile back down at her. Brittany was seven months pregnant with our fourth child and the reason why we moved here. Not only because we were a growing family on a budget, but also because it was closer to the firm where I worked as an accountant. What a bore that was. I could have been so many things… then again, I just understood math. Brittany says it's a male thing. "I…" Brittany starts. I turn to the house, looking at it more closely. A shutter on the top floor bangs against the window frame as the chilled autumn air whips past us. "I don't like the feeling of this place." I turn to her, my eyebrows coming together. "Call it mother's intuition, but something just doesn't feel safe about this house," Brittany shivers. I wrap my arms around her, trying to keep her warm. I kiss the top of her head when she doesn't stop shivering.

"A kitty!" Ally squeals while climbing out of the car. A.J follows her silently behind his sister as she kneels down in front of a scruffy black cat. Carman crosses her arms as her twin sister picks up the mewing cat. "Isn't she just… just adorable!"

"Ew," Carman remarks in her eleven year old sarcasm. "It might have rabies or something. You should put it down before it bites you and you foam at the mouth and-" A.J punches his sister in the arm when Ally's eyes turn the size of saucers. She holds the cat out at arm's length. "Ow!" she screams, glaring at A.J. He just sticks his tongue out and walks into the house with his red backpack securely on his back.

"Put the cat down Ally," I tell her. Carman snickers causing Brittany to grab her roughly by the arm and pull her inside. Ally looks like she's about to start crying when she sets down the scruffy little cat. I sigh in defeat as she looks at me. The cat circles her tiny little ankles, purring and begging for more attention from the little girl. "Okay, okay!" I yell, not meaning to raise my voice. Ally breaks out in a picture perfect smile, snatching the cat off of the ground and skipping into the house.

I climb the creaky steps into the house, trying to be as light as possible as I enter the house. Something was just so… off. I shake it off, opening the heavy door and greeting my family inside.

I groan as the alarm clock goes off. Brittany rolls over and continues sleeping on her side while the clock beeps at me to get up and go to work. If Britt isn't up by then, bring the kids to school as well. I pull myself out of bed and lumber over to the bathroom. I turn the knob to make the shower start but nothing happens. "Dammit," I mutter my eyes only half open. I shrug off the shower, putting on extra deodorant and cologne before shrugging my black suit on. I stare at the pink tie Brittany has laid out for me for a full minute before tying it around my neck. The guys at the firm are never going to let me live this down… but then again, neither will my pregnant wife if I refuse to wear it.

I come downstairs to find Ally and Carman pouring themselves cereal from a half empty box we brought from the old house. They sit at a rickety table left by the previous owners. Most of the furniture in the house was already here when we walked in the door yesterday. Brittany wiped everything down with a rag and claimed it had rustic charm.

"Daddy," a small voice comes from the hallway leading to the kids bedrooms. I look at A.J, still in his superman pajamas. A.J doesn't talk much as it is, so hearing him call out to me already has me in a panic. Tears form at the corners of the boy's eyes as he stares at me. "Daddy… it hurts. He hurt me."

"Who hurt you?" I ask him, rushing over to him in big steps. I kneel down in front of my son, grabbing his small shoulders and inspecting him closely from head to toe. A.J shakes his head, breaking out into sobs. "Did you have a nightmare?" I remember as a kid how real all of my nightmares were, especially those about the dreaded wolf man. A.J shakes his head and pulls at the hem off his pajama shirt. "It's okay," I wrap my arms around him. He tenses under me, making me pull back. "What's wrong?"

"He hurt me," A.J says again. He keeps pulling at the hem of his shirt. I try to pull up his shirt to see what he was hiding. "No!" he screams. "You can't see it! He'll hurt me more!"

I turn to Ally who is holding her little cat close to her as she eats while Carman crosses her arms. "Stop being so mellow dramatic A.J," she sighs. A.J breaks out into a wilder tantrum, kicking and screaming against me. I have to hold him on the ground with my knee in order to keep him still.

"Just let me look at it!" I yell through gritted teeth. I was frustrated that my morning was turning out like this and that A.J finally decides to open his mouth now. I have two meetings and luncheon with a client today. I don't need this!

"What are you doing?" All four of us look up at Brittany. She has an angry expression on her face as she watches me knee our kid to the ground.

"Mommy!" A.J screams from the ground. "He hurt me… he hurt me so bad."

"Daddy?" she asks. My breath catches in my throat… I didn't mean to hurt A.J. I just wanted to know what he was talking about. Why he wouldn't show me.

"No!" he cries. "He hurt me!"

"For God's sake Alvin!" Brittany ignores our son for a second. "Get off of him!" I step away from A.J. A.J got up and ran to his mother. He wraps his arms around her, but is careful not to let his torso touch her.

"Something's wrong with him and he won't tell me what it is," I try to reason with her. She sighs deeply and kneels down in front of her son, huffing with effort due to her condition. I'm about to protest but she puts up a finger, signaling me to stop talking. I clamp my jaw shut and watch the pair.

"Honey," Brittany says softly, holding both of his hands. "You know you can tell me anything."

"No mommy," he sighs, shaking his head.

"I promise to keep it a secret."

"He'll see you."

"Who?"

"I can't tell you," A.J says. I watch Carman sneak off of her chair as Ally beckons her back in a hushed whisper that Brittany doesn't seem to hear. In one swift motion, Carman has cleared the distance between herself and A.J and has his shirt halfway over his head. I can't see anything, but the skin on Brittany's pales.

I take big strides over to them and turn my son around to face me. He's sobbing again but what catches me off guard is the gash across his stomach. "That's it!" I scream, making everyone in the room jump. I snatch the cat out of Ally's hands and hold the thing up in the air, watching it mew in terror. "I knew this cat was a bad idea!"

"Daddy! No!" Ally screams. "He didn't do it!"

"Put it down Alvin!" Brittany's standing now. "It's this house, I told you!"

"But-"

"Look!" she snatches the kitten out of my hand and pushes the sleeve of my suit up to my elbow. She runs a claw across my arm, watching intently as a thin white scratch is left behind. "See!" I shake my head, not believing any of this… what did A.J mean when he said that the thing would hurt him again if we found out… would worse thing s happen? I gulp down any fear and head for the door without a good bye.

I lay in bed that night, unable to get a wink of sleep. I stare at the clock waiting patiently for Saturday morning. Saturday meant having Theodore and his family over to have a huge breakfast and watch hours of brain numbing cartoons while Ellie and Britt fight over baby names. They both seem to like the same name these days, and two pregnant women in the same room can be dangerous. Theo and I tend to keep our distance and talk sports. Since Theodore has become a father himself, he seems more into football watching these days since he has plenty of time to cook at his job as it is.

I freeze in bed as an ear splitting scream rings through the house. Brittany sits up in bed, looking around the room. The scream goes on for what seems like forever. There's a short pause before it starts up again. Brittany starts to get up but I put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll handle this one," I tell her.

"I'll come with you," she says softly. I shake my head. "Don't be so worried all the time Alvin," she laughs a little. "I'm pregnant, not diseased."

"You're carrying the most precious thing in the world," I mutter, touching the curve of her stomach lightly. "I don't want you getting hurt."

"I won't," she says, continuing to get out of bed. I follow her out the door, letting my sweats drag across the wood. Something pierces my foot and I take in a big breath. Brittany turns to me, looking exasperated. "What?"

"This house is a piece of shit," I mutter, pulling nail out of my foot. Brittany grimaces, heading down the stairs and towards the kids' rooms. We come to the girls' room first, only to find them sound asleep. I gulp as we head into A.J's room. The screaming is louder than ever. We open the door quickly, not sure what to expect.

A.J is marching around his rom in all directions screaming his head off. I'm about to reach out to him when Brittany pulls my arm back. She has a hand over her mouth as she grips my arm. I watch as A.J turns to us, his eyes rolled back in his head as he screams in the dull moonlight shining into his room. I gasp, watching him scream his little head off.

"Jeanette used to have these once in a while," she says. "It's a night terror. We just have to leave him alone… the worst thing we can do is wake him up."

"H-he just looks so… tortured."

"He is," she says, tears pricking at her eyes. "And there's nothing I can do about it. I'll only scare him more if I try to wake him up."

I wrap my arms firmly around Brittany, feeling all of her pain. She cries into my chest as A.J continues his rampage. "Stop hurting me!" he would scream every so often. I close my eyes and bow my head so that it's resting on Brittany's shoulder, unable to watch him any longer. It's hard watching your child become so tormented by something unseen and unable to help him.

Suddenly the screaming stops and A.J falls to his bedroom floor with a loud thud. He lies there almost completely motionless expect for the rise and fall of his little chest. I detach myself from my wife and pick him up gently. I bring him upstairs with us, Brittany smoothing out his hair and crooning to him as we walk up the stairs. We put him between the two of us like we used to when the kids were much smaller and they had nightmares in the middle of the night. My stomach twists with fear as I watch him sleep. Brittany hugs his little body and sings lullaby after lullaby to calm his restless sleep.

"Mom… Daddy?" a voice comes from the doorframe.

"Alisha?" Brittany asks. She just stands there with her hands by her sides, her white nightgown ruffling as she bobs up and down nervously, shifting her weight back and forth. "Baby, what's wrong?"

"I don't want him to hurt anyone else," Alisha cries into her hands. "I'm scared."

"What do you mean?" I ask her. She runs into my arms and plows her head into my chest as she cries. I wrap my arms around my daughter, smoothing out her auburn hair as she cries.

"The baby… mommy's baby is going to get hurt."

"What?" I ask her, but I divert my eyes to Brittany who instantly puts a hand over her stomach. "Who is he?"

"Tommy," she whispers. "He just wants a family but he thinks he has to hurt people to get it… he thinks that A.J is taking his place in our family."

"Is Tommy your imaginary friend?" Brittany asks.

"No!" Alisha gets up. "He lives in this house! He's wants Alvin Junior dead!"

"Go to bed!" Brittany yells at her through gritted teeth. Alisha's eyes go wide as she watches her mother's angry face. She turns to me, hoping that I'll help her but frankly, this is all just too much for me. I don't know where to begin… were we really being haunted by some psychotic little boy?

"Sorry kiddo," I kiss the top of her head. A tear falls down her cheek as she watches me unbelievingly. I look away from her as she climbs off of our bed slowly and down the stairs. She looks back at us once, a sad expression on her face as she makes her way down.

Within a couple hours, Brittany falls asleep with A.J in her arms. I sit up in bed, my eyes feeling dry and overused as I stare at the room around me. The house seems colder than usual as I pull on the t-shirt sitting on the dresser. I make my way back to the girl's room. I stop short at the sound of voices.

"I had to tell them! You were hurting my brother… but I guess it doesn't matter because they don't believe me. They'll get it once A.J is gone," her voice cracks. "They'll understand then… I t-tried to w-warn them!"

"I told you they couldn't be persuaded," a little boy's voice answers Alisha's. "Adults are all the same. But you, Alisha, you are amazing. That's why I want to be your brother so we can always play together and have fun together."

"You don't have to hurt A.J though!" she cries.

"You just don't get it!" a loud smack echoes through the hallway.

"Don't you touch my sister!" Carman's voice rings out. I can hear heavy footsteps, and a loud bang on the wall, then a dull thud.

"They'll always love him more," the boy's voice, or, more likely, Tommy's voice says. "If A.J doesn't leave than I'll always be the less loved one. The different one… I don't want that again. Do you know how hard it is to be like this? To always be looking for love from someone who won't give it to you?"

"People love you," Alisha whispers.

"I know," he says. "You love me, don't you Ally? We were meant to be a family, right?"

"Of course," she mutters. "But hurting A.J is going to make them hate you."

I don't know what makes me decide to open the door then. I stare in horror at the scene in front of me. Carman is on the far side of the room in a crumpled heap while Alisha is perched at the end of her bed, watching me in horror. The dark figure beside her is what scares me the most. It's almost like a black blur hovering beside her, but a promenade nose, a mouth, two arms and two legs make the thing look human. The thing, Tommy, looks at me.

"What the hell are you doing?" I yell, watching the thing step in front of Ally.

"No daddy!" Ally screams. "You'll only make him upset!"

"Who cares?" I scream back. "I can't take my family getting hurt. This thing has got to go! I don't want him here!"

"Oh daddy," she cries softly. Before I can react, Tommy has his dark hands around my throat and shoves me into the hallway, banging my head against the opposite wall. We fight; well I mostly just swing my fists wildly as the black blob while he shoves me around. I slip a little on the kitchen floor as we try to take each other out. He can't do this to me! This is my family and he's hurting them! I feel his little hand grab hold of reach side of my face as he brings my head down on the corner of the counter top. My body goes limp as I tumble to the kitchen floor. I watch him walk away slowly, but as he turns to look at me from the entrance to the hallway, he disappears.

When I wake up my vision is hazy and my back hurts from sleeping on the kitchen floor. It's still dark outside so I couldn't have been out for long. I can't seem to get all the way up though. My muscles feel like jell-O and my head hurts too bad to think. I listen as footsteps creak towards me. My heart beat thumps a million miles an hour. Brittany appears in the archway, looking around. She spots me instantly, and no doubt the blood covering the floor. "Alvin!" she gasps, rushing over to me. "What happened?"

"It turns out Tommy isn't just an imaginary friend."

"We have to go," Brittany says instantly. "Get the kids, we're moving."

"Mommy?" a familiar voice whispers. A.J appears in the doorways, standing much too still for an eight year old boy. "Mommy… you're leaving me?"

"No honey!" Brittany cries. "Why would you every think that?" A.J suddenly falls to the floor, his body convulsing as it lies on the ground. The black form known as Tommy appears in front of us. Brittany gasps, gripping my hand tightly. "W-what are you?"

"I'm your son," Tommy whispers. "You will love me. Either that or you will have nothing!" I open my mouth to say something, anything, but suddenly my vision goes blurry and a sense of dizziness washes over me. What does he mean 'nothing'? How will I have nothing? I already live in a haunted house and have a crap shoot job, what else can he take from me? The realization hits me like a brick as A.J slowly rises from the kitchen floor, his eyes glowing red and an evil smile planted on his usual solemn features. Tommy is going to take my family. I turn to Brittany but before I can speak the words have already left her mouth.

"I am not your mother."

"I thought you might say that," Tommy says. "But I will not be left alone… you will stay."

"Don't touch her!" I yell, slowly getting to my feet. My knees wobble under me and Brittany looks up at me with a pleading look in her eye. "You will not lay a hand on my wife and you will leave my children alone."

"You think I'm going to hurt your precious wife?" he snarls. "What's so great about _her _anyways? She's useless! I see her day in and day out sitting there being useless and hogging all the oxygen that someone like me would kill for!"

"You shut your mouth!" I point a menacing finger at him.

"Alvin, stop-"

"No!" Tommy screams, tears roll down A.J's cheeks. "I won't let you leave. Do you know how hard it is to be me? Do you even understand what its like to be alone in this house.'

"Someone out there loves you Tommy," a small, sincere voice comes from the hallway. "That person isn't here though. They love you Tommy, and they want you back in their lives so they can hold you and care for you like a parent should. It's time for you to go and find them so that I can love the family I've got, even if they don't love me as much as I love them," I stare in shock at Carman as she bows her head.

"Wow," Tommy whispers. A moment of silence makes tension hang in the air. Tommy shakes his head at last and lets out a laugh. "You really are the idiot of the family! The one no one loves! Ha!"

"Shut up!" Carman screams back at him.

Tommy lifts up his hand, black matter swirling around his fist as he looks at her. A baseball bat shaped object appears in his hands and he throws it at her. Brittany screams as the end of the bat hits her square in the stomach and she falls to the floor, gasping for breath. Someone, or something, grabs her ankles and drags her back into the depths of the house.

"You bastard," I mutter.

"That-" he turns to us, the bat reappearing in his hands. "-Is an understatement. But then there is you Mr. Alvin Seville. You are a failure. You hate your job and can't even protect your family from me. You have failed." Before I can even let the word 'failure' compute in my mind, Tommy throws the bat again, expect this time it hits Brittany. Brittany slams her head against the cupboard as the bat hits her stomach. She gasps in horror. Something's wrong… so wrong.

Brittany grips her stomach. "I-I can't feel it," she cries. Brittany suddenly reaches out and grips my hand, pulling me down. "You need to find my children. I need them. I need to know that I am still a mother. I need to see it."

I bite my lower lip, her words hitting me like a bulldozer. I nod, before standing up straight. I search the room, but Tommy is gone.

I step carefully down the basement steps, figuring that someone as syndical as Tommy would choose his layer down there. The underneath of the old house is dirty and full of musty smells. A cold chill runs down my spine as the steps creak under my weight.

"No!" I hear A.J's voice rung out. "You can't do this to me! I love my family and you are hurting them… they hate you!" another scream rips through me as if someone just put hot iron across his back. A muffled cry is followed by this. "I am in control of you now Alvin Junior and you will learn to live with it!"

"Step away from my son," I growl, stepping out from around the corner, not sure what to expect. I glance above me at Ally and Carman dangling from chains on the ceiling. Both of them are gagged and looking at me with horrified looks.

"No matter," Tommy says, looking at me through A.J's eyes. "There are more prospects than this pathetic boy. There is always the child upstairs." My throat tightens and my stomach twists itself into knots. "As you should know Mr. Seville, I not only sense death but also life. And life is coming… it is sweet and fresh and I want it."

"Alvin!" I hear my voice from upstairs. "Something's wrong!"

"It is coming," Tommy whispers. "Your child is coming and it shall be mine."

"No," I try and scream but instead it comes out a harsh whisper. "P-please," I beg. "Just let us go… you were meant to find a family, that's plain as daylight, but us, the Seville's, are not the ones you are looking for."

"How do you know?" he asks.

"Because we wouldn't be fighting it if it were meant to be," I answer. "Just let us go."

"Why do I have to be so alone?" a tear falls down his face. He balls up his fists as he looks me straight in the eye. "I'm trapped here and I can't leave, what am I supposed to do? Just… wait?"

"Yes," I try to make him see. "The ones you are looking for will come someday!"

"Alvin!" Brittany screams upstairs. Loud screams echo from upstairs but my eyes stay fixed on Tommy. Why won't he let this go? We are not his family and he doesn't seem to understand that! What's wrong with this child? But then, a new thought comes to mind. Who _hurt _this little boy? Why is he alone?

"Move on without them if you need to," I try and smile. "Move on and live an afterlife you want. Fill it with all of the good things like… like having friends. Friends like Alisha." Tommy glances up at Alisha. She nods, fighting against the chains looped around her body. Tommy sighs, and the chains break, and Alisha and Carman tumble into my arms. Ally watches Tommy look at the floor while Carman clings to me for dear life. Suddenly, A.J falls to his knees and shakes his head. He looks confused and dazed, but when he sees me he just gives me one of his typical quite smiles.

"Alvin!"

"Thank you," I whisper to the room, not seeing Tommy anywhere. I run upstairs, carrying Carman with the other two trailing behind me. I walk towards the kitchen in big strides only to see Brittany half covered in blood. "Oh God," I mutter.

"Don't just stand there!" Brittany growls. "Help me!"

And with that, I put down my daughter and carried my wife to the car. Six hours later, I was father to another daughter. Jeanette, Simon, Theodore, Eleanor and all of their children came to the hospital right away. Jeanette proclaimed that the little girl should be called Lillian. We nodded wearily, but shortly after the little girl was dubbed Lil for short.

"What happens now?" Eleanor asks as we all sit together as a family. Dave is holding the new baby off to the side while Theodore sleeps with all of the older kids on the couch. All of them are piled on top of each other, but they look comfortable.

"You said that the house across the street was for sale, right Ellie?" Brittany asks suddenly.

"I thought you guys just moved to that house in the city?" Simon asks. "Wasn't it closer to the firm?"

"I think I'm up for some change," I say with a smile, kissing my wife's cheek.

"Oh Alvin," Simon shakes his head.

**~This took me so long to write! I hope you like it! Please, please review!**


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